NBA Trade Rumors: The New York Knicks Are Interested In Trading For Paul George. Should Steve Ballmer Consider Trading Paul George?
After one of the worst performances any star player displayed in the playoffs, Paul Goerge went from being an MVP candidate last season to a mediocre starter that is on the verge of getting traded. His performance in the playoffs led to the rest of his team losing momentum in confidence as the Clippers lacked any real leader or motivator in the locker room. Instead, the Clippers strived to retrieve starting-calibre players to run their second unit, which ultimately failed them in the long run as they blew a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets. However, recent reports show that the New York Knicks are among the few teams interested in trading for Paul George to become their next franchise player since Kristaps Porzingis! According to an article written by Marc Berman of the New York Post, he reveals how the Knicks can attain the former All-Star.
“After the Clippers blew that 3-1 lead to Denver, George reportedly annoyed teammates with a postgame sermon that hit the wrong chords, especially after his disappointing output,” Berman wrote. “Owner Steve Ballmer reportedly was so incensed; he threatened to trade everybody and fire all the coaches. [Doc] Rivers was the first casualty.”
“The Knicks desperately need a starting small forward since Marcus Morris was dealt with the Clippers. Because of his low-energy defence, Kevin Knox may only become, at best, a sixth-man scorer. This might be the deal in which the Knicks have to put either RJ Barrett or Mitchell Robinson on the table as George, 30, is in his two-way prime. He’s in the third year of a four-year, $136.9 million pact, making $35.4 million this season. The final year is a player option so George can become a free agent after next season.”
While this might be a fantasy trade for the Knicks to dream off, the reality is, New York does not have enough assets even to entice Steve Ballmer to pick up the phone! RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson are solid pieces and could be potential All-Stars in years to come; however, trading for a 30-year-old who has proven unreliable is not worth risking the entire future of an organization. The Knicks would bring relevance as they would attain an All-Star calibre; however, NBA players have realized the type of organization the Knicks are and would rather play anywhere else than dawning their jersey. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving proved this theory as they refused to sign to a losing organization regardless if they had the funds to aid their contract needs. This trade for both parties makes no sense and shouldn’t even be considered for the Los Angeles Clippers. Suppose they intend on trading away Paul George. In that case, other organizations such as the Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and even the Indiana Pacers have better assets to trade if they are interested in acclaiming Paul George.
The New York Knicks need relevancy in the NBA, but to do so, trading for an inconsistent All-Star is not the solution to their problems. The issue for the New York Knicks is not they necessarily need a star, but a functional front office that understands how basketball works. Kristaps Porzingis was the most recent All-Star calibre the Knicks had, yet they traded him for literally nothing! While Dallas became an empire, New York is still at the bottom. Trading for Paul George will not solve the Knicks considering how horrible of reputation both George and the Knicks have across the NBA!
Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers disappointed every NBA fan across the planet. This team was projected to make it to the NBA finals but heavily failed. Steve Ballmer wanting to trade every player initially made absolute sense considering how far this team was supposed to go. If they trade Paul George, the Clippers would be doing the same thing as they did this season: rushing their chances at winning a championship. The Lakers and the Miami Heat are in the NBA finals this season due to trust and patience. Rather than trading away Paul George, the Clippers should be patient and develop chemistry, which was absent this season. Putting Kawhi Leonard through load management was the root cause of their downfall, considering that their star player was missing at times. Paul George suffered an injury and found it difficult to function in the NBA bubble, as many other players did. While Paul George does have the reputation of disappearing in the playoffs, the Clippers should give the roster one more chance and develop chemistry rather than assuming that they can make the NBA finals.
